The Universe Revealed

Carbon Dioxide

Carbon Dioxide

Everyone had heard about carbon dioxide, the gas that's causing the greenhouse warming effect. But, what is the present danger and what effect is it having on the Earth's climate?

First of all, there is no doubt that the level of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere had been increased and is increasing. The first accurate measurements go back to 1956 when the level was at 315 ppm or parts per million. It was only around 340 ppm in 1980 and presently it's close to 400 ppm. All of these values are per volume.

You wouldn't think that 85 ppm would cause any trouble, but it is. Basically, the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere has increased by 43% since the Industrial Revolution, which started roughly in 1760. This is when man began to burn wood, coal and other fossil fuels to create mechanical energy as with steam engines, power plants and eventualy, automobiles. As countries adopted these practices, the amount of CO2 production increased exponentially. Despite efforts to curtail CO2 emissions, the level keeps increasing because of population growth.

There are other sources of CO2 emissions, including: breathing, volcanic eruptions, release of embedded carbon in both the soil and oceans, and other minor sources. I did a calculation on this and posted it in 'The Theory of Everything', and man's emissions from industrial and domestic activities amounts to doubling the population. An average human emits 1 kilogram per day from breathing. Animals are about the same. When you multiply those by 7 billion, it gives you an idea of the magnitude of the problem.

Trees and other plants use CO2 in photosynthesis, emitting oxygen in the process. This is one of the reasons that the Earth is greening up again, despite deforestation. The plants love it, but it's not so good for us.

Keep in mind that we need some carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. If we removed all of it, the Earth would become a frozen snowball. That's because CO2 traps heat, a process that is necessary to keep the temperature reasonable. However, too much CO2 will result in a runaway greenhouse effect.

It turns out that the Earth was much hotter and had a lot more CO2 in the atmosphere. Five hundred million years ago, CO2 concentration was 20 times what it is now, but it slowly dropped down to 4-5 times during the Jurassic period. I suppose the Dinosaurs liked it.

The oceans absorb a lot of carbon dioxide in the so-called carbon cycle. Unfortunately, as the CO2 concentration in the water increases, so does the acidity from the formation of carbonic acid. This is detrimental to some marine life and especially the corals. As the temperatures of the oceans rise, they are unable to hold as much CO2 gas because of how chemistry works. Think of it this way, when you warm a bottle of soda, the carbon dioxide dissolved in it can blow it up. Gases like to dissolve in cold liquids.

Carbon Dioxide is an odorless gas that forms a solid at – 78.5 C, which is known as dry ice. Water can dissolve CO2 up to 1.45 g per liter at 25C, and it forms carbonic acid when dissolved. There is some of it in your blood. This is the result of evolution and it explains why our blood also contains salt. Our ancestors lived in the ocean many millions of years ago.

Carbon dioxide is not considered toxic but it will cause asphyxiation. You need some of it to keep your breathing system working but too much can cause a feeling of drowsiness (at 10,000 ppm), and at 70, 000 to 100,000 ppm it will cause death by suffocation despite the presence of oxygen. Concentration at or below 5,000 ppm won't kill you but it could be irritating and cause long-term effects.

Keep in mind that carbon dioxide is not the only greenhouse gas. Water vapor and methane are actually much more effective at causing greenhouse warming. We can't do anything about the water vapor. It's part of the atmosphere. Methane, on the other hand, is a result of organic decomposition and natural gas production.

So, the bottom line is that we're not in immediate danger from the gas itself, but there are possible changes to the climate of the planet. If the greenhouse effect increases too fast it could go into a runaway cycle, causing life to be miserable. Fortunately, there are ways to curtail the emission of carbon dioxide. Hopefully, that will protect the planet for our progeny.

Thanks for reading.